Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-02-17
Mexican Outrages.

PoiS On@S 0lahl county boy Is taxing
in the able defense of American rights:
Early in the year of 1880 three New
York State young men, OF good ante
cedents and training, went to Augan-
queo, in the State of Michoacan, Mex
leo, in the employ of Arnold & Stephens,
a firm which had taken contract to
drive tunnel to drain the mines Of the
Trojes Mining and Smelling Company,
an English. corporation. The three
young men were George Arnold, of
Oneida, Henry Toumans, of Fulton, and
John Connolly, of Lockport. They
went 10 act as superintendents on diff
erent divisions. On March IA. while
the firm was paying off the laborers at
the house, lazy and vicious Mexican,
who claimed to have done more work
than he was credited with, made trouble
and had to be put out of the house. In
the afternoon, while Connolly was Sit
ting on the piazza of the house, the
Mexican came up with his cloak full of
stones and begun pelting Connolly with
them. The enraged Mexican finally
came upon the piazza. drew his sword,
and Connolly. after trying to frighten
him away by firing revolver into the
air, shot him to save his own life. Soon
after Connolly started away to give
himself up TO the municipal authorities,
but mob which had collected chased
him back to the house with knives in
their hands. The mob set fire to the
house, and, when the three men were
forced out, they were horribly slaughter
cd. Connolly was lassoed and dragged
to death by a man ON horse. During
the trouble word reached the municipal
buildings, and body of soldiers were
sent out to quell the disturbance, but
the soldiers joined with the mob and
helped in the slaughter.
The details of this horrible event
were given in corroborative dispositions
made by Americans who were near the
scene. The relatives of the dead men
placed the case in the hands of Eugene
II. Lewis, of 120 Broadway, who was
attorney for the Troies Mining Com
pany, and then began the work of get
ting an indemnity from the Mexican
Government.
The MexIeans took their time, and
then refused to pay demands on the
j ground TINT the three murdered Amer
leans had not complied with the Local
Naturalization law which required for
eigners to register when they go to
Mexico
Mr.. Lewis in speaking of Mexico S
refusal to pay, said yesterday: "The
claim for indemnity to herelatives of the
murdered Americans was formally pre-
scented by our Government to the Mex
lean Government rs far back as 1881.
Within year afterward the Mexican
Government rejected the claim, and
refused to admit any liability for it, and
impertinently refused to entertain fur
Their discussion on the subject. Neither
the violation of our citizens rights nor
the impertinent treatment of the subject
by Mexico has been resented by our
Government. But the five years since
the demand was refused has been con-
sumed in a soft species of correspond
ence at the rate of perhaps two letters a
year between the two Governments "a
correspondence which is generously
maintained by Mexico in the face of her
declaration that she would refuse to
entertain farther discussion, out OF
courtesY,I persume, to our Department
of State. which must do something tt
account for its existance. The subject
of the discussion is this: By decree Of
President Juarez dated March 16. 1861,
foreigners who might wish to exercise
rights as such were obliged to enrol
themselves on register of matricula.
ton in the Mexican Foreign Office, and
to take out certificates thereof.
The three citizens, Arnold, Youman:
and Connolly, had none of them matric-
ulated 1t being a municipal regula
ton, they knew nothing about it. Yet
this silly doctrine was the sole barrier
!, which was opposed by Mexico to the
claim for indemnity for the loss of theil
lives. And this proposition, advanced
i. on one side and resisted on the other
has been the topic discussed between
last five years. 1t Is 4 simple case Of
bluff by Mexico She laughs in hel
sleeve while she asserts the doctrine
She knows that our Government vii
not make good the demand for indem
nifty so long as the State Department
letters receive any Kind of a reply.
Every one knows thata municipal ac
such as this decree of matrieulation can
NOT for L moment prevail against tn,
law or usage of nations. Suppose i
were admitted to be of controlling effect
as Mexico claims, this situation nigh
result: An American vessel might to uel
at a Mexican port and before the mas
ter or any of the officers had an oppor
tunity of visiting the foreign office t,
matriculate, they might be set upon b,
revenue officers. their cargo and yesse
eonfiscated, and themselves imprisoned
Not having matriculated before the out
rage. and and the act of matricuia.iol
expressly having no retroactive effect
they would be remediless. our Gov
"ernment's interference would not be ad
mitted, and the outrage would go m
punished, as so many have already"
When we first began to read continue,
stories the magazines used to put "(T
be Continued)" at the end of each in
stallment except the next to the last
when "(To be Concluded)n warned tn
reader that the next number would en-,
the story. The custom now is to pu
nothing at the end, leaving the reade
in doubt as to whether the story ha